Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is a lunar holiday. The official festival is also known as the Double Fifth Festival, because it occurs on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar, and Poet's Day, because it commemorates the failed rescue attempt in 295 B.C. of Qu Yuan. Qu was a Chinese poet, hero and Minister of State to the King of Chu. Qu warned the king against signing a fake treaty, and for his effort he was exiled. Dejected, Qu wandered the countryside and then drowned himself in the Milo River. The local fishermen raced out in their boats to save him, beating drums to scare off any fish that might eat his body and dropping rice into the water to nourish his spirit.
Today's Double Fifth Festivals include dragon boat races -- with beating drums and rowers tossing rice into the water. The dragon boat is a canoe with 10 rows of benches (for the 20 paddlers) and the heads and tails of "dragons" attached at the helm and stern (also where you'll find the drummer and steersperson). In a ceremony, a Taoist priest will "bring the dragon boats to life."
The race is a sprint, lasting under 5 minutes. Since the sport of dragon boat racing offers great teamwork experience and interaction, and the festivals seek to promote multiculturalism, there are many crews (teams) from corporations. Besides getting them in shape, they get to sample the terrific traditional food of the dragon boat festival!
See also: holidays, boating, dragon dance
spotlight on: Greater Toronto Dragon Boat Festival - in Toronto, Canada; June 22 - 23, 2002
